A need exists to deliver combustion improvers to fuels in an efficient and cost effective manner. Combustion improvers can vary widely in cost, physical properties, handling and safety requirements, quality or purity, and efficacy. Thus, for certain applications, customers of combustion improvers desire to improve, that is, reduce their costs and, if possible, decrease the amount of combustion improvers.
Fuels and fuel blends that utilize combustion improvers have included diesel fuel, jet fuel, gasoline, biodiesel, coal and other hydrocarbonaceous materials. The combustion improvers have included a variety of accelerants, ignition improvers, octane improvers, cetane improvers, smoke reducers, slag reducers, oxidation catalysts, catalytic converter protectors, and the like.
One way to improve the research octane number (RON) is to utilize aryl amines. For example, n-methylaniline at concentrations of about 0.5% (5000 mg/L) can typically raise the RON by about 0.9, and n-methyl-p-toluidine (NMPT) by about 1 RON at the same treat level. Moreover, metal-based additives, such as methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT) can raise gasoline RON by about 1.7 at low treat levels of 0.0008% (8 mg Mn/L). Some modern vehicles with knock sensors have been shown to take advantage of fuel RON to optimized combustion in a way that yields a corresponding fuel economy benefit. Therefore any synergistic increase in RON by additive combinations can be important for fuel economy resulting in a reduction in the carbon footprint resulting from burning fossil gasoline in internal combustion engines.